Last safe ghost town left in AZ

[ArizonaNativeDude]

Henry Wickenburg's claim 13 miles S. of the current city of Wickenburg AZ still stands as "Vulture City". The Vulture Mine is by my belief the last, great ghost town with real buildings (not just foundations) left in Arizona. There has to be perhaps 20 existing, permanant buildings left. This real ghost town is not a "plastic cowboy-hat" tourist trap. This is the real deal if you want history. The only thing different than those long forgotten places you put your 4x4 into drive is that a caretaker and his family charges $8.00, gives you a map, and tells you that they aren't liable for your butt. Oh and don't steal anything. Being born in AZ, I remember as a kid going to many places that dont exist anymore unless you explore a lush golf course. Vulture City may disapear soon to development (this post written 5/15/06). Six months ago I spoke to a resident of Wickenburg about the fate of the Vulture Mine. He said it was old and NEEDS to be torn down..ouch. I said historic things tend to be old, and he said yeah but people need places to live and the real estate market is too hot now. This makes me sick. Let us lovers of heritage and history fight this please and put Vulture City Arizona on the national registry. P.S. the owners of this place dont want to be on this registry. They want to see the mine go back into production ($100 million in gold still lies there) but modern extraction would not be profitable enough to warrant a major mining endevour. I just want to save our history and hope some of you would try to help me.

[brian10x]

I love Vulture. I could not agree more.

Yeah, don't try to steal anything, the caretaker is packin' heat. Thats how I like it.

Him and his wife are really friendly. I spoke to them for a while. $8.00 is a real bargain.

I remember a sign hanging from the assay office that said something like :The gold in the walls and foundation of this building is valued at over $10,000.00, but to extract it would cost much more than that. Something like that.

Losing Vulture would be a huge loss to us all.

[GaryB]

They wouldn't need real state if they'd use some contraception and stop breeding like rabbits.

Tearing down the old sites or moving into the scenic ones just so we can have dense communities of stucco sticks and SUV's sickens me.

[Mikejts]

Henry Wickenburg's claim 13 miles S. of the current city of Wickenburg AZ still stands as "Vulture City". The Vulture Mine is by my belief the last, great ghost town with real buildings (not just foundations) left in Arizona. There has to be perhaps 20 existing, permanant buildings left. This real ghost town is not a "plastic cowboy-hat" tourist trap. This is the real deal if you want history. The only thing different than those long forgotten places you put your 4x4 into drive is that a caretaker and his family charges $8.00, gives you a map, and tells you that they aren't liable for your butt. Oh and don't steal anything. Being born in AZ, I remember as a kid going to many places that dont exist anymore unless you explore a lush golf course. Vulture City may disapear soon to development (this post written 5/15/06). Six months ago I spoke to a resident of Wickenburg about the fate of the Vulture Mine. He said it was old and NEEDS to be torn down..ouch. I said historic things tend to be old, and he said yeah but people need places to live and the real estate market is too hot now. This makes me sick. Let us lovers of heritage and history fight this please and put Vulture City Arizona on the national registry. P.S. the owners of this place dont want to be on this registry. They want to see the mine go back into production ($100 million in gold still lies there) but modern extraction would not be profitable enough to warrant a major mining endevour. I just want to save our history and hope some of you would try to help me.

So just what is it that you want people to do to save the Vulture?

[ArizonaNativeDude]

Help put it on the National Registry of Historic Places. The owners would probably like to sell it to development. Face it, they dont live like those in North Scottsdale, but to lose this site would be to lose a huge, last chunk of some REAL (still standing) Arizona history. Even if it means (and I cringe at the thought)- if making a "plastic cowboy hat" amusment park like Goldfield, then so be it being the lesser of two evils. Lets get a petition going not in just Wickenburg but Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, and everywhere else from Los Angeles to Maine. Maybe even petitioning the History Channel do do a show on the Bradshaws and Vulture City (among many "other" historic places in the Bradshaws that tend to be dangerous 'meth labs' these days). To help national awareness (History Channel's "Save Our History Project") might just save similar, last remaining places like this in our nation. The owners of Vulture City may even make out prettier financial legers as a result of a History Channel feature.

[45-70Ranger]

ArizonaNativeDude
"Save Our History",is worth a shot.
Anymore, I really dislike developers.Grredy white eyes.
More farmland here in Modesto,
CA is lost and more houses being built.
Land prices are really skyrocketing.
I look for more canneries to close,when no more fruits and veggies can be processed. I work for a cannery.More unemployment,more crime.
I'd better be ready to leave this state.
And a Big "Howdy !!"to Mikejts !!
See ya !

[Mikejts]

I just checked the place out. I think we should all band together and take our piggy banks and buy the place. ****, they only want 6.2 Million for it. It is supposed to still have from 20 to 40 times more gold left than what they took out of the glory hole. And it is 275 acres.

By the way the price of the tour went down. it is only 7 bucks. I have numerous photos I will post in a couple weeks on my site. Worst case we could find the miners that got buried alive.

Neat place.....

[Flatiron]

Rocky.............I can't wait to see your photos. Let's see ........1000 investors x $6200.......that would work!

[NWNative]

OK, but if we're gonna band together to buy this one - what about the others?
Hmmm. . . how about every time one comes on the block we all buy it - like a co-op ghost town group. To keep them safe, we could get a few of you gun-toten' types to spend vacations there.
We could have access and explore and keep the things from being torn down, shot up and burned to the ground.

Might cost more that $6200 each though. Do you suppose the Gates Foundation would fund it?

[Mikejts]

OK, but if we're gonna band together to buy this one - what about the others?
Hmmm. . . how about every time one comes on the block we all buy it - like a co-op ghost town group. To keep them safe, we could get a few of you gun-toten' types to spend vacations there.
We could have access and explore and keep the things from being torn down, shot up and burned to the ground.

Might cost more that $6200 each though. Do you suppose the Gates Foundation would fund it?

Good ideas - Being as you live in the northwest I suggesdt you go directly to Bill and get the money.